Kent Denver feels inevitable.

After losing in the Class 4A title game last year, and on a streak of four title defeats dating back to 2007, this weekend is setting up to be the Sun Devils’ championship breakthrough.

No. 1-seeded Kent Denver crushed No. 4 Prospect Ridge Academy in Friday’s Final Four at Denver Coliseum, cruising to an 84-70 victory that puts the Sun Devils on the doorstep of their second state crown and first since 1997.

For 32nd-year Sun Devils head coach Todd Schayes, a sixth title appearance is sweet — and no, he’s not thinking about the last four defeats in the big game. Win or lose, he’s keeping Kent Denver’s success in perspective.

“You mean do I watch 30-for-30s on (ex-Houston basketball coach) Guy Lewis?” cracked Schayes. “Whether it’s (ex-Bills coach) Marv Levy, or Guy Lewis, it’s never about me. It’s about the kids that I’m coaching. To get there (to the championship) is frickin’ hard, and I soak in every one.

“If we’re fortunate enough to win (on Saturday), I’m still going to have to wake up on Sunday and do the dishes, take the dog out.”

George Karl addressed the Sun Devils on Thursday, and the inspiration from the former Nuggets coach worked on Friday as they owned every facet in a game where they led for all but 16 seconds.

They controlled the paint (60 points to the Miners’ 28). They took care of the basketball (23 Miners turnovers to eight by the Sun Devils). And they capitalized on Prospect Ridge Academy’s mistakes, with 31 points off those Miner turnovers.

Kent Denver led by eight points after one quarter, then 16 at half. After the Miners briefly made a push in the third quarter, Kent Denver reasserted itself en route to the 14-point-victory that was not as close as the final score indicated.

It was a similar outcome to when the two teams met on Feb. 11 in Metro League play — a 91-72 Sun Devils win in Broomfield. On Friday, Kent Denver’s usual suspects carried it again. Junior forward Caleb Fay had a game-high 26 points, while senior guard Elvis Lloyd added 23 points and coach’s son Gil Schayes (Colorado School of Mines commit) chipped in 13.

“When you’ve had the adversity that we had last year in the title game, and in the last three or four weeks we’ve had a bunch of illnesses and injuries — it makes it a lot more fun when you can push through that,” Todd Schayes noted.

Kent Denver improved to 24-3. The Sun Devils’ lone losses came to 6A Rangeview and Legend, as well as 3A power Resurrection Christian, which is undefeated and making a deep run in its own state bracket. Resurrection Christian beat Kent Denver 76-61 in last year’s championship, which has served as fuel for the Sun Devils all season.

“That definitely motivated us,” said Lloyd, a Hobart College commit. “We don’t want to lose this one. We want to have a different feeling than last year, and that’s what we’ve been working towards.”

Lloyd knows the Sun Devils’ status as the Goliath of the 4A bracket doesn’t mean anything until the trophy is in hand.

“Coach tells us, ‘You don’t win games on social media, you win them on the court,’” Lloyd said. “So we’re staying focused, we’re not getting big heads, and we know there’s more work left to do.”

The Miners, who were appearing in their first Final Four, finished 20-7. Prospect Ridge was led by 18 points by senior Liam Schilling, while sophomore guard Jackson Brandt and freshman Josiah Bote each had 15. The Miners only started significantly cutting into the lead in the final minutes after Kent Denver put its reserves in.

In Saturday’s title, the Sun Devils face No. 10 Colorado Academy. The Sun Devils have faced the Mustangs twice already this season and won the first two meetings by a combined 50 points.

It won’t be the last game for the 60-year-old Schayes, who is a longtime sixth grade English and history teacher.

“I don’t play golf and I don’t play tennis, so unless I pick up pickleball, I think I’m going to do this a little bit longer,” he said.

No. 10 Colorado Academy 67, No. 6 Coal Ridge 62 >> It was a Love-ly evening for the Mustangs inside the Coliseum — thanks to Clyde Love.

The senior guard caught fire early, then helped Colorado Academy (18-9) hold off hard-charging Coal Ridge late, scoring a game-high 27 points to secure the program’s first title game trip in 10 years.

Love sank all four of his 3s in the first half, then buried his fifth triple at the third-quarter buzzer, to lead Colorado Academy’s 9-for-12 night from long range. Fellow senior River Hamm sank four 3s of his own and finished with 14 points.

Still, with all that Mustangs firepower producing a 31-13 edge with 3:21 left in the second quarter, Coal Ridge refused to go away. The trio of Ben Simons (17 points, 13 rebounds), Gio Ervin (14 points) and LJ Herrera (12 points) led a group of nine scorers for the Titans (20-7).

Twice Coal Ridge pulled within three points in second half — first on Herrera’s corner 3 with 11 seconds to go in the third quarter, then on Simons’ trey with 18 seconds left in regulation. But Love answered the former with that buzzer-beating 3 to spark a 10-0 CA run, and the Mustangs’ press break produced a Mikel Miller dunk as time expired after the latter.

James Claypool, who fed Miller for the game-ending slam, added 16 points and 10 rebounds for Colorado Academy.